God’s Glory Revealed

by Amanda Baker

Psalm 8:1, 3-4

O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. 

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

This is a familiar psalm that I have read scores of times in my life.  But recently, the Lord encouraged my heart with some new thoughts about how He reveals His glory.  The psalm references the glory of God in the heavens and the work of God in carefully and meticulously placing the moon and the stars in their places.  I don’t know if you have ever had the picture in your mind of God at creation just flinging the stars across the sky like an artist splattering paint on a blank canvass.  That was kind of the picture that I had in mind when I looked in awe at the starlit night sky.  But the Psalmist here is particular to write of God’s using His fingers to “ordain” or place carefully the moon and all the stars.  When I began to think on this incredibly meticulous task, the next verse came alive to me.  The God Who purposefully and particularly placed the billions of stars in their places thinks about me and even takes time to minister to me individually!  What an amazing and humbling thought! 

But another thought came quickly after these – why do we only see the stars in the night time?  If I had done something as incredible as God has done with the stars, I would want them to be seen ALL the time.  Now I am no scientist to explain this, but the answer seems simple – it is only in the darkness of night that the light of the stars is revealed for our human eyes to see.  Just because we can’t see the stars doesn’t mean they aren’t there.  We just have to wait for God to reveal them to us.  Psalm 8:1 references God’s “glory above the heavens.”  Could it be that sometimes it takes the darkness of the night in our lives to allow God’s glory to be revealed?   

I don’t know what is going on in your life today, but I do know that my God cares about the little things in your life and mine – He thinks on us and visits us!  Maybe you are in a time of darkness – take some time to look at the “night sky” and see what part of His glory He is trying to reveal to you in your darkness.  Then praise Him because He is excellent and worthy of our praise!

How Do You Worship?

by Amanda Baker

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

I have been challenged recently concerning my attitude in worship.  Ecclesiastes isn’t the place in the Bible that I would expect to find such a challenge, but I believe there are some vital truths to consider about worship and prayer from this passage.  

First, worship is something that God takes seriously!  Solomon here is admonishing the Israelites about the sin of making empty vows to the Lord, vows they never intended to fulfill.  I believe the application can be made that when we come to the house of God to worship Him, He expects us to enter into that worship with a sincerity of heart and willing heart to listen to His Word.  Warren Wiersbe makes the following comment about this passage in his commentary on Ecclesiastes entitled Be Satisfied: “The worship of God is the highest ministry of the church and must come from devoted hearts and yielded wills.”

Second, prayer to the Almighty God and Creator of all is serious business!  The following thoughts concerning the matter of prayer addressed here in Ecclesiastes 5 are also from Wiersbe’s book: “If you and I were privileged to bring our needs and requests to the White House or to Buckingham Palace, we would prepare our words carefully and exhibit proper behavior.  How much more important it is when we come to the throne of Almighty God?  Yet, there is so much flippant praying done by people who seem to know nothing about the fear of the Lord.”  Eloquence in public prayer does not indicate a profound prayer life.  Prayer is my communication line to God.  It should be an avenue that I am familiar enough with that I don’t feel like I have to say something impressive for those who hear me pray publically.  My public prayer is still communication with God not with those listening.  When I approach God’s throne in prayer, it should be done with a broken spirit of humility and with a realization of exactly Who I am talking to.  Spurgeon put it this way, “It is not the length of our prayers, but the strength of our prayers, that makes the difference.”

Those two observations from this passage lead me to the last four words in Ecclesiastes 5:7 – but fear thou God.  When I approach God with the right attitude in worship and prayer, I will understand the true fear of the Lord.  It will not cause me to be afraid of Him, but rather to have the proper respect for Him when I come to His house for worship and when I approach His throne of grace in prayer.  God wants us to worship Him.  It is why He left us here after He redeemed us.  How do YOU worship?

How Important Is Your Obedience?

by Amanda Baker

Most of you are probably familiar with the story of Joshua and the children and of Israel’s amazing defeat of the city of Jericho.  They obeyed the instructions the Lord gave them and marched around the city for seven days until the Lord caused the walls to fall in on the city.  The people were able to utterly destroy this stronghold in Canaan when they obeyed the Lord’s instructions.  However, there was one man who disobeyed the instruction to leave all the spoils of Jericho for the Lord.  Achan took of the accursed things in Jericho and hid them in his tent.  His disobedience seemed insignificant until a couple thousand men went up to defeat the small city of Ai and met unexpected defeat.  The Lord revealed to Joshua that there was sin in the camp that had to be eradicated before Israel would be victorious against the enemies in the Promised Land.

The thing that struck me was how many people were affected by Achan’s disobedience – thirty-six people died in the Israelites defeat at Ai, Israel was put at risk for other nations to come against them, Achan and his whole family were stoned to death and all his belongings were burned in the valley of Achor.  Achan’s coveting the Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold caused great distress for the whole nation of Israel.  I believe God uses stories like this one to illuminate an important truth – Obedience is a non-negotiable matter in the eyes of a holy God.  What are you trying to negotiate when it comes to matters of obedience in your life today?

Stand – No Matter What!

by Amanda Baker

Daniel 3:17-18 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

The book of Daniel contains familiar stories that I remember being taught from a very early age, yet in recent study of this Old Testament book, I have been struck by some simple yet profound truths.  Some of those truths come from the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace.  You know the story – Nebuchadnezzar built an image, probably of himself, for the people to worship.  He had almost his whole kingdom bowing down to him at the sound of the music.  Remember that kingdom included those from Babylon and more than likely multitudes of captured Hebrews who had assimilated into the culture of Babylon.  Out of all those people, Babylonians and Hebrews alike, only three, that we know of, were willing to stand up rather than bow their knee to a pagan king.  Now these three Hebrews were standing before one of the most powerful humans on earth at that time.  A few things strike me here – Nebuchadnezzar gave them another chance to fall in line with the decree.  He could have thrown them in the furnace without question.  But the biggest truth here lies in the response of the Hebrews – “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”  We know the rest of the story – God gloriously delivered them from the fiery furnace.  But when they stood before the king, they did not know what would happen.  They only knew that their God was worth living and even dying for!  What faith and trust in an Almighty God! 

What “furnace” are you facing today?  There is no way to tell whether the Lord will choose to deliver you or whether He will choose to give you the grace to endure the “furnace.”  But in either case, He promises us that He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us! (Hebrews 13:5) Live in confidence today that no matter what the outcome is, our God is worth standing for – no matter what!

Be Not Afraid, Only Believe!

by Amanda Baker

Mark 5:36 “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.”

Recently in reading a series of passages in Scripture that deal with faith, I came across Mark 5.  There are several situations that Christ encounters here that illustrate faith.  The one the caught my attention is found in Mark 5:21-43.  A ruler of the synagogue named Jairus comes to Christ asking for His healing for his daughter.  Christ makes His way to heal her fever when He is detained by the crowd of people and encounters the woman with the issue of blood.  Her faith heals her, but in the delay, Jairus’s daughter dies. When her death is reported to the Lord, He responds to Jairus with a powerful statement – “Be not afraid, only believe.”  Many times in our lives we face circumstances that naturally elicit fear – a serious illness, loss of a job, financial difficulties, death of a loved one.  Obviously, the Lord knew that He would raise this little girl up, but her father did not know that.  Christ ministered to Jairus’s natural response of fear with an admonishment to believe.  It seems as if the Lord knew in our human nature that we would need to be reminded to have faith in the midst of difficulty because most often our fear clouds the eye of faith.  What is it that is obstructing your vision of faith in this new year?  Take the Lord’s admonition to a father who had just lost his daughter to encourage your heart when facing difficulty – “Be not afraid, only believe!”

Give Thanks

by Amanda Baker

At this time of the year, we begin looking back to what we are supposed to be thankful for.  I was reminded just a few weeks ago of just how important this attitude of thanksgiving really is for us as Christians.  I was reading a short article dealing with different kinds of prayer, and my attention was directed to prayer of thanksgiving.  The article used I Thessalonians 5:18 as the text.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Having been saved for over thirty years, I know that I have read this verse many, many times.  But this time, the Lord struck me with this thought.  Thankfulness does not depend on favorable circumstances.  I am commanded to be thankful in EVERYTHING!  That is a tall order to follow.  Sometimes when we look at the circumstances in our lives, we wonder what God is doing, and we bypass our thanksgiving in prayer because our circumstances don’t seem to lend themselves to an attitude of thanksgiving.  The author of this article made the statement that instead of bypassing the thanksgiving we need to pray something like this: “Lord, I don’t understand everything you are doing in my life, but I trust you and am thankful that you are still working behind the scenes even though I can’t really see what you are doing right now.  Thank you that you have not forgotten me.” 

I know we will all spend some time in the next few weeks sitting around the table sharing thoughts of thanksgiving, but may we never forget that part of God’s will for us is to be thankful in every situation even when we don’t understand it.

How to Find the CALM in the Storm: Part Four

by Amanda Baker

How to Find the CALM in the Storm: Part Four

Since storms in life are something we must all face, finding the “CALM” in the midst of the storm is so vital. “CALM” in the storm can be found by calling on the Lord first, acknowledging that God allowed the storm for your good and for His glory, leaning on Him in the midst of the storm, and finally, minimizing the negatives of the storm and maximizing the lesson learned through the storm. There have been times in my life that I have faced the storm and have reacted in a very negative way. I spent my time asking why and being bitter that life is not fair. There is no “CALM” in a storm when we focus on the negatives and all that we don’t like about it. No one is volunteering to go through stormy times in life, but I believe that Bible clearly speaks of somuch good that is meant for us in the storm if we will only recognize that good and focus on it. When I was in college, my grandmother passed away. I was devastated. She was one of my favorite people in the whole world. At the time of her death, I had been reading and studying Psalm 119 in my personal devotions. It felt like the winds and waves on the sea of life had really kicked up, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to weather this storm. The Lord showed me a wonderful truth in Psalm 119:71 – “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” I remember lying in my bed in my dorm room crying and thinking, “How can this affliction be good for me?” It was in the days and weeks that followed that I began to see the Lord work in my heart and teach me in the midst of this storm. I still hurt at the loss of someone very dear to me, but the Lord began to teach me about His peace and about His all-sufficient grace in my life. He brought a storm to my life that forced me to look to Him. That is what the storms of life should do for us. They should direct us to the

loving, caring Heavenly Father who desires to teach us in the midst of these storms. Psalm 119:68 reminds us of His goodness in our lives – “Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.” The storms of life as good for us, and He desires to teach us in the midst of those storms. If we miss the lesson He has for us in the storm, how can we do what He has called us to do effectively? Sometimes the storms accent our weakness so that He can manifest His strength in our lives. Paul put it this way in II Corinthians 12:9-10: “And he [Christ] said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” God’s grace is ALWAYS sufficient for the storm. He never gives us more or less grace than we need for the storms of today. We don’t have to store up the grace for another day. He gives us exactly what we need for that day, and then He magnifies Himself in our weakness. Paul was able to say that he could glory in the storms of life because it pointed others to God’s grace and strength in those
storms. What is your focus in the storm? Is it the negatives of all that has happened to you?
Or have you seen the lessons that the Lord is trying to teach you in your weakness in the midst of the storm? It is a conscious choice to trust God and focus on that which He is trying to teach you. Psalm 118:24 illustrates this choice for us: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Will you rejoice in the storm by maximizing the lessons that the Lord wants to teach you today?

Finding “CALM” in the storm doesn’t mean that there will be a sudden end to the storm. It just means that you will be able to weather the storm with God’s grace and His strength. He will bring you through. He promises to never, ever leave us nor forsake us (Hebrew 13:5). Will you trust Him today and find “CALM” in the midst of your storm?

How to Find the CALM in the Storm: Part Three

by Amanda Baker

How to Find the CALM in the Storm: Part Three

We have been looking at finding the “CALM” in the midst of the storms of life. So far, we have looked at the need we have to call on the Lord first and to acknowledge that God allowed the storm for our good and for His glory. Today let’s take another step in finding the “CALM” in the storm – we must lean on Him in the midst of the storm. Storms bring with them fierce winds that would seek to blow us off course, to look for something or someone to hold on to

while we weather the gale force winds and the driving rain. Scripture is clear that there isn’t anything or anyone more dependable to lean on and hold to in the storms of life than the Lord Jesus Christ. Oftentimes in the midst of the storm, I find myself trying to figure out how to work out the problem on my own. I seek my own wisdom in how to handle the problem, but that is not the right way to face the winds of the storm. Proverbs 3:5-6 clearly tell us to “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” My leaning must be on the Lord and not on my own understanding. He desires to help me in the midst of the storm. In fact, the Psalmist makes this clear in Psalm 61:1-4: “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.” Leaning on the Lord in the storm is what He desires. The Psalmist is crying out to the Lord here “from the ends of the earth” with an overwhelmed heart. Christ promises to be our rock, shelter, strong tower, tabernacle, and much more. He wants us to come to Him and lean on His strength in the storm. The storms are so much more overwhelming when we try to face the winds on our own. It is interesting to note that the Psalmist often couples this idea of leaning on the Lord with times of prayer. The two go hand in hand. Why not just trust Him in the midst of your storm? Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” God’s Word never tells us to fix the storm. It just points us to call on Him, trust Him, and lean on Him as He takes us through the storm. Will you lean on the Lord as He leads you to the “CALM” in your storm today?

How to Find the CALM in the Storm: Part Two

by Amanda Baker

How to Find the CALM in the Storm: Part Two
As we continue with this idea of finding “CALM” in the storm, let us consider another truth – Finding “CALM” in the storm requires you to acknowledge that God allowed this storm for your good AND for His glory. This truth can be a tough one to get your arms around at times. There are a few parts to this statement that we need to consider as we seek “CALM” in the storm.

First, we have to acknowledge that God allowed this storm. There is so much talk in our society about the “bad” things that are happening all around us and to us. Granted, the world is full of evil that all traces back to the original sin of Adam and Eve. But Scripture supports the truth that not all “bad” things, as we would call them, are allowed in our lives as punishment. The Psalmist writes the following in Psalm 119:75: “I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” If the storms of life are all bad for us, this verse is contradictory because the Psalmist saw the affliction in his life as the Lord’s demonstration of His faithfulness.

Secondly, we must acknowledge that God allowed this storm for your good. Admittedly, none of us would volunteer for a storm in our lives, but God sometimes brings those storms in our lives to show us how good He is. Again, the Psalmist states in Psalm 84:11 – “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” I often go to this verse to remind myself that everything the Lord sends my way is good for me because He promises not to withhold good from those are seeking to walk with Him. That leads to the conclusion that the storm in my life must be for my good!

Lastly, we must acknowledge that God allowed this storm for your good AND for His glory. As believers, we must realize that God’s ultimate purpose in creating us was to bring glory to Him. Revelation 4:11 – “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” So even in the storm, we must seek to give Him glory for what He is doing in our lives.

The storms of life should help us see His working in us if we are seeking to see it. Sometimes it is necessary to follow the Psalmist’s admonition and just “be still and know that He is God” (Psalm 46:10). He is in control, and not only in control, but He is working His master plan that is for your good and ultimately for His glory. How are you doing at finding “CALM” in your storm?

How to Find the CALM in the Storm: Part One

by Amanda Baker

How to Find the CALM in the Storm: Part One

Storms in life are not unique to any one person. In fact, someone has rightfully said that at any given time in life, we are in a storm, coming out of a storm, or getting ready to enter another storm in life. The Lord promised us that storms would be part of life in I Peter 4:12 - “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:” So the presence of storms in our lives should not surprise us as Christians. However much of our lives are consumed with dealing with the stormy times of life. The real question that every Christian must deal with is this - how do you find calm in the midst of the storm?

I believe that the Bible is full of passages that can be our “CALM” in the storms of life. Over the next several blog posts, I want to share with you some thoughts the Lord has impressed on me about just that - Finding the “CALM” in the Storm. Here is an overview of those thoughts.

1. Call on the Lord first.

2. Acknowledge that God allowed this storm for your good and ultimately for His glory.

3. Lean on Him as He takes you through the storm.

4. Minimize the negatives of the storm while you maximize the lessons God has for you as

   you weather the storm.

Let’s begin with what I believe to be a foundational truth for each of us as we look for the “CALM” in the storm - Call on the Lord first! Sadly, as twenty-first century believers, we so quickly overlook this very important resource in the storms of life. We run to social media to ask others to pray for us (which is a blessing, don’t get me wrong), but many times we are asking others to do for us what we have yet to do for ourselves. I believe that we will more easily find the “CALM” in the storm if we will personally begin by crying out to the One Who has the ability to do something about the storm.

There are several passages that remind us of these truths. Below are just a few that have been a comfort and even a conviction to me concerning calling on the Lord first.
Jeremiah 33:3 - Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Psalm 55:16-17 - As for me, I will call upon God; And the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: And he shall hear my voice.
Psalm 86:6-7 - Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; And attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: For thou wilt answer me. Hebrews 4:16 - Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

These passages and many others like them speak for themselves. Our God wants us to call on Him when we are in the storms of life. The question is do you see prayer as the first resource

or the last resort when the winds of life whip up around you? “CALM” in the storm must begin with calling on the Lord first!

Greater Things to Come

By: Amanda Baker

John 1:49-50  Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.  50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

One of the first things that Christ did in His earthly ministry was to seek out and call His disciples.  John 1:35-51 gives us record of Christ’s calling John, Andrew, Simon Peter, Phillip, and Nathanael.  These five men were the first of many people to follow the Lord while He walked on this earth.  As I studied this passage recently, something about Nathanael’s encounter with Jesus struck me.  Jesus sought out Phillip and called him to follow Christ.  It took no convincing on Phillip’s part to follow Christ.  He must have heard about Him, and we know he realized Who Christ was because of what he tells Nathanael.

John 1:45   Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Nathanael’s response proves he needed some convincing.  

John 1:46   And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

As you continue through this passage you see that Jesus convinces Nathanael of His identity by telling him something that only God could have known about Nathanael.  Christ immediately ministers to his heart and Nathanael responds by following Christ.

It is amazing to me how our God ministers to each of us as He calls us to serve Him.  Some He calls once and they need no other explanation.  Others He has to woo and minister to carefully until they are assured of His work in their lives.  But each one is brought into the loving arms of his Savior just the same.  The striking statement of assurance for us in this passage is what Christ tells Nathanael in verse 50, “thou shalt see greater things than these.”  Christ assures us even as we are called to minister for Him that this is only the beginning.  He is going to do so much more in our lives than what we have witnessed when we choose to answer His call.  Be encouraged today in all the great things God is going to do in your life as you answer His call to be His disciple.

What’s Your First Reaction?

By: Amanda Baker

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his window being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

I love the book of Daniel.  Daniel is one of those Bible characters that I look forward to meeting one day in heaven.  From the first time we are introduced to Daniel, he is portrayed in his faithfulness regardless of his circumstances.  He had influence on his friends who, in turn, stood for right as young people.  There are many years of Daniel’s life that are not recounted for us in Scripture.  But I believe that we can conclude that he remained faithful in those silent years.  

When Daniel is in his nineties, the other rulers in the kingdom became jealous of Daniel and his excellence and sought to find fault in him.  Daniel’s clear testimony was evident in the way the wicked rulers sought to create an issue between Daniel’s God and the king’s decree.  The story is a familiar one, but let me point out again a testimony of Daniel’s faithfulness in his first reaction to this problem – “he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before His God, as he did aforetime.”  This difficult circumstance did not shake the foundation of this faithful believer.  He had “purposed in his heart” as a teenager to follow the Lord even in a pagan land.  And now as an old man, he knew that God would care for him because of his faithfulness.

Do you and I react to circumstances that cross our paths like Daniel?  Is our first reaction to “take it to the Lord in prayer”?  I have to admit that often I try to find the solution on my own.  Many times I find myself in a bigger mess than I started with because of my lack of faith in God.  If Daniel’s God was powerful enough to protect his friends in the fire and shut the mouths of the lions, is He not worthy of my faith and trust in the little bumps in my road?  Don’t forget that we serve the same God that Daniel did!  May we trust Him and be faithful in every aspect of our lives today.

True Love

by Amanda Baker

Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 There are many familiar passages in Scripture that many of us could probably quote from memory.  But one of the beauties of the unending fathoms of truth from the Word of God, this passage strikes me again with the depth of God’s love for me.  The Fruit of the Spirit is a single fruit that is produced by the Spirit in Christians as we allow Him to work in us.  It is not a mistake that the first part of this fruit is love.  It is on this principle of love that a Christian will see all other parts of the Fruit of the Spirit produced.  Someone has related all the other parts of the Fruit of the Spirit to its basis – love – as follows:

·     Joy is love exultingor rejoicing.

·     Peace is love resting.

·     Longsuffering is love enduring.

·     Gentleness is love caring.

·     Goodness is love transparent.

·     Faith is love unwavering.

·     Meekness is love submitting.

·     Temperance is love overcoming.

 There are a few things we can gather by looking at how Christ interacted with people while He was on this earth.  By the example of Christ’s passion for all men while He was on this earth, we should be challenged to love ALL people like He did.  Following His example, we will love even those who despise and hurt us because His love for us is never conditional on our love for Him.  Lastly, He proved His love for us in His actions – He died for us because He loved us, not because we deserved His love.  

 Romans 5:8 – But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 How often do we just give lip-service in our love for Him and for others?  If we are exercising the love He displayed for us, we will love Him and others with our concrete actions rather than just with lip-service.  While the world tells us that love is feeling that we should give into, take some time to mediate on the greatest love that we Christians have been shown and follow His example in exercising true love.

God Uses the Desert

by Amanda Baker

The desert…not the place most people want to go for a vacation to get re-energized.  So why did God give us the deserts?  How can the desert times in our lives be beneficial for us?  There are many situations in which the Lord used a desert place to accomplish His will in a way that only He could.  One such time is found in Mark 6:31-45.  The Lord invites his disciples to go out to the desert place for rest.  The people follow Him, and He shows His disciples one of the greatest miracles of His earthly ministry – the feeding of the five thousand.  He used a desert place in the disciples’ lives to show His power.  No doubt they were tired and had an enormous problem, but God showed His power in the desert.  Let the Lord use your desert to do miraculous things in your life!

When Things Don’t Go the Way We Expected

by Amanda Baker

Recently, I heard a missionary wife give a challenge concerning the difficulty of a missionary’s life as things don’t always go according to “the plan” that we have for our lives.  I think that it could be said of all people that things don’t always go according to our plans.  My heart was challenged by a few simple truths that will help me face the outcome of God’s plans for my life when they don’t turn out the way I expected them to.

1.    Be thankful. 

I Thessalonians 5:18 – “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Even when things are not going my way, I must be thankful for what the Lord is doing in my life.  I don’t know what is best for me, so I have to trust God to know what is best for me.  He doesn’t send me anything that is BAD for me, so I need to be thankful for ALL that He sends my way even when it “messes up my plans.”

2.    Be content.

Philippians 4:11 – “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”  When plans change to something unexpected, I need to learn to be content.  Paul was clearly content as he wrote these words from a prison cell!  Would you be content if you were chained in a prison for no substantial reason?  The plan doesn’t always work out, but I must learn to be content in the Lord.

3.    Be on time for ministry opportunities.

Psalm 118:24 – “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”  Some days seem impossible when the task of serving our Lord and following His plan lie before us.  It would be easy when plans change to throw in the towel and find an easier path to follow. However, if I am late in the ministry opportunities that God has planned for me, I will miss the rejoicing that comes along with pleasing Him with my service.

How are your plans going? Don’t let a change in plans sway you from your goal – Please the Lord first and foremost!  He will work out the plans for your best and for His glory!

Devotional for Church Blog 10/30/14

What Motivates You to Serve?

by Amanda Baker

II Corinthians 5:14-15

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead; And thathe died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

Some people may wonder why a missionary would “give up everything to go serve God in another country.” The only answer I have for this type of question is found in II Corinthians 5:14-15.  It is the love of Christ that constrains me or compels me to follow His will for my life.  Notice it doesn’t say that my love for Christ is what compels me to serve Him.  It is His love for me displayed in His sacrificial death on Calvary that compels me to live, not for myself, but for the One Who gave Himself for me!  When we see this Scripture as it is written and understand that God gave everything for me, how can I do anything less than serve Him with my life?  For me, that service involves leaving what is seemingly comfortable and convenient here in the USA to serve the Lord in England where He has called me to serve.  For you, it is probably completely different.  The question is not where you will serve the Lord, but rather, what will motivate, constrain, or compel you to serve the Lord?  Is His love enough to compel you to stop living for yourself and live for Him?  Consider Calvary and His sacrifice the next time you are tempted to live unto yourself!

Devotional Blog for October 13, 2014

An Unlikely Audience

By: Amanda Baker

Luke 2:8-11   And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Christmas is a time for us to celebrate the coming of our Savior to this earth as a baby.  The Christmas story is a familiar one to most people, and yet every year, I find that the unsearchable riches of the Scriptures come alive again with truth from this very familiar passage.  The Lord came to this earth in an extremely humble manner and in a way that fulfilled prophecies written so many years before.  The thing that struck me as I was recently pondering the announcement of Christ’s birth is the unlikely audience that the Lord used to announce His birth.  His purpose in coming was to save His people from their sins.  Why did He choose to use His angels in such a magnificent manner to herald the news of His birth to a group of simple shepherds?  This unlikely audience could be considered symbolic of the fact that the Lord was concerned with the unlikely people of this world rather than just the important ones.  He chose the shepherds to share the news of His birth.  I am sure that those shepherds were not expecting that job, but God used them and encouraged their hearts with His angel’s words – “Fear not!”  May we, like the shepherds, be willing to be used to share the good news of the Gospel no matter what time of year it is.  And when we have thoughts of doubt as to whether we should speak up for Him, may we remember the angel’s words to the shepherds, and fear not!

Overwhelmed!

Psalm 61:1-4 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

There are some days that seem like the list of things to do and responsibilities far outweigh the available hours in the day.  As a young college student, I remember facing this feeling of being overwhelmed almost daily.  One night at dinner, I was complaining to my friend about all the things that I had to do and the lack of time to complete them.  Her response took me off guard – “Have you taken time to read God’s Word today and really commune with Him?”  I almost choked on my food.  Hadn’t she heard the inexhaustible list of things that I had to get done?  I swallowed my food quickly, and listened as she continued to encourage me to set aside extra time to spend with the Lord on the days when I was the busiest.  We left the subject in our conversation, but I couldn’t get it off my mind.  How could I spare EXTRA time to spend with God when I had all this stuff to do?  I remembered that she also encouraged me to read Psalm 61 if I decided to give it a chance.  So I did!  That night the Lord used this Psalm to convict, challenge, and change me concerning this feeling of being overwhelmed.  I have often run back to this Psalm and many other passages of Scripture amidst the busiest times of my life.  I have had similar conversations with my friends and even my students since the Lord showed Himself able to sustain me using the truths in this Psalm in my life.  That week and many others like it were the most productive when I stopped being overwhelmed with my problems and allowed myself to be overwhelmed by the One Who was trying to teach me through those problems.  I’m so glad that He is my shelter and a place of safety for me when it seems that all that is around me is falling to pieces.  My God hears me and cares about me!  What a wonderful God we serve!

True Love

by Amanda Baker

Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

There are many familiar passages in Scripture that many of us could probably quote from memory.  But one of the beauties of the unending fathoms of truth from the Word of God, this passage strikes me again with the depth of God’s love for me.  The Fruit of the Spirit is a single fruit that is produced by the Spirit in Christians as we allow Him to work in us.  It is not a mistake that the first part of this fruit is love.  It is on this principle of love that a Christian will see all other parts of the Fruit of the Spirit produced.  Someone has related all the other parts of the Fruit of the Spirit to its basis – love – as follows:

• Joy is love exulting or rejoicing.
• Peace is love resting.
• Longsuffering is love enduring.
• Gentleness is love caring.
• Goodness is love transparent.
• Faith is love unwavering.
• Meekness is love submitting.
• Temperance is love overcoming.

There are a few things we can gather by looking at how Christ interacted with people while He was on this earth.  By the example of Christ’s passion for all men while He was on this earth, we should be challenged to love ALL people like He did.  Following His example, we will love even those who despise and hurt us because His love for us is never conditional on our love for Him.  Lastly, He proved His love for us in His actions – He died for us because He loved us, not because we deserved His love.  

Romans 5:8 – But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

How often do we just give lip-service in our love for Him and for others?  If we are exercising the love He displayed for us, we will love Him and others with our concrete actions rather than just with lip-service.  While the world tells us that love is feeling that we should give into, take some time to mediate on the greatest love that we Christians have been shown and follow His example in exercising true love.

"It's My Right!"

Proverbs 13:10 Only by pride cometh contention but with the well advised is wisdom. 

This verse is a simple statement from Proverbs that holds profound truth for life. So much of today's society teaches us that we have rights. I find that when I decide that "it's my right" to tell someone what I think is right to do, my pride rears its ugly head. Maybe my thoughts about the situation are factually right, but my attitude is wrong and the fighting and contention that follow are the direct result of my pride. This is a simple truth that I must continually remind myself of so that when I want my way because I think "it's my right" to have or do something, I can avoid contention by being well-advised! May the Lord help us put away our pride and in turn put away our contention!